Addressing adverse childhood experiences is top of mind as Monroe Co. Public Health Commissioner steps into role

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — News 8 had a chance to sit down with the new Commissioner for the Monroe County Department of Public Health.

Dr. Marielena Vélez De Brown was appointed Tuesday, after holding the title of Deputy Commissioner since 2016. She stepped into the Interim Commissioner role back in March, after Dr. Michael Mendoza stepped down from the role.

Now as commissioner, and as the first woman, and first Hispanic woman at that to head the department, Dr. Vélez De Brown stressed to me the importance of community cooperation within the county, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic and her commitment to advocating for underserved communities.

"It's easy to be passionate about this work when I have such a great team," Dr. Vélez De Brown told News 8. "We've got 270 some odd folks that are coming into work every day to just try to make this community safer and healthier for everyone and focused on health disparities and equity and making sure we don't leave communities behind that have kind of been overlooked in the past, so I'm just so grateful for the team that we have here."

She also wanted to remind Monroe County residents of access to programs the county has in place, including the WIC program, immunization clinics, and efforts to combat the opioid epidemic.

Within her goals for Monroe County is building a system that supports individuals and helps heal them from traumas.

"There is such a need to address adverse childhood experiences and try to prevent traumas at an early age," Dr. Vélez De Brown told News 8. "We know the data is very strong that when people experience really frightening, concerning events that make them fear for their own safety or the safety of a loved one before the age of 18, the more of those experiences that someone has, the more likely they are to develop diabetes and hypertension and dementia and all these things that you wouldn't think had to do with your experiences growing up."

Dr. Vélez De Brown emphasized to the community that the Department of Public Health is ready to respond quickly and adapt any plans or programs as needed.

FULL INTERVIEW: